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Holland becomes fourth KC closer with 40 saves

Holland becomes fourth KC closer with 40 saves

9/8/13: Greg Holland coaxes a groundout to second by Victor Martinez for the final out of the ninth inning, sealing a Royals win

By Dick Kaegel and Kathleen Gier
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MLB.com |

KANSAS CITY -- With another save on Sunday, Greg Holland became the fourth player in franchise history to record 40 saves in a season. Holland, a first-year All-Star, joined Jeff Montgomery, Dan Quisenberry and Joakim Soria as the only Royals pitchers to accomplish the feat.

"Especially when you know guys personally like Monty and Soria, yeah, it's nice to be in good company," Holland said.

Holland has converted 40 of his 43 save opportunities this season and allowed only nine earned runs in 58 innings for a 1.40 ERA this season.

"It's a huge number -- 40 saves puts you in the upper echelon," manager Ned Yost said. "Anything past 35 puts you in the upper echelon for me, but he's one of the top closers in the game, his numbers bear that out."

Holland snapped a streak of 31 consecutive saves on Thursday, but he still holds the second-longest run in franchise history behind Soria's 36 in 2010. Since then, he's bounced back with two straight saves.

"I think when you step on the field, you've got to feel like you're pretty good or you're [destined] to fail," Holland said. "We've got a lot of guys that are confident in their abilities when they step on the mound or get in the box. I feel pretty confident in myself and my abilities."

Dick Kaegel is a reporter for MLB.com. Kathleen Gier is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.